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Kanji Detail for 字 - "character, courtesy name"

字

  • Meaning

    字 means "character, courtesy name." Also associated with to nurture.

    1. Character - A symbol for writing language; a letter.

    2. Courtesy name - A name given after coming of age, in addition to one's real name.

    3. To nurture - To raise; to foster; to cultivate.

    4. District - A small division within a town or village.

  • Words using 字

    • 数字 すうじ Listen numeral; digit; numeric character
    • 赤字 あかじ Listen (being in) the red; deficit; red letter
    • 黒字 くろじ Listen (being in) the black; surplus; black letter
    • 文字 もじ Listen letter (of an alphabet); character; writing
    • 漢字 かんじ Listen kanji; Chinese character
    • 十字 じゅうじ Listen cross; cross shape; sign of the cross
    • 文字通り もじどおり Listen literally; to the letter; literal
    • 活字 かつじ Listen (piece of) type; movable type; moveable type

  • Four-character idioms with 字

    • 真一文字 まいちもんじ Listen straight line; beeline
    • 一字一句 いちじいっく Listen word for word; verbatim; literally
    • 一字千金 いちじせんきん Listen word of great value
    • 不立文字 ふりゅうもんじ Listen Buddhist revelation through intuitive discernment; Spiritual awakening cannot be experienced with words and letters; Spiritual enlightenment can be attained only by means of communion of mind with mind (Zen Buddhism)
    • 十字砲火 じゅうじほうか Listen cross fire
    • 永字八法 えいじはっぽう Listen Eight Principles of Yong

  • Tattoo check: 字

    • Verified meaning: character, courtesy name
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Also carries these associations: to nurture

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    character; letter; word; section of village

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    letter, character, word

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    letter; symbol; character; word; CL:個|个[ge4]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    character, letter, symbol, word

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Writing. Creating shapes according to categories is called 文. Combining form and sound is called 字. | A courtesy name. Men at twenty are capped and given a 字. See (Book of Rites, Quli). The 字 expresses the meaning of the given name. Such as Confucius's son was named Li (carp), with courtesy name Boyu (Elder Fish). | Women when betrothed are pinned and given a 字. Hence betrothal is also called 字人. | To nurse. Giving birth is called 字. The character 字 originally takes this meaning, suggesting proliferation. | To love. 撫字 means to nurture. Such as 撫字心勞, meaning attentive to nurturing and care.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    ji(ジ) ジ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    aza(あざ) あざ

    azana(あざな) あざな

    na(な) な

  • Strokes

    tip

    6 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    子 (ko・kohen・kodomo・kodomohen)

  • Related Keywords

    character courtesy name to nurture district plot letter alphabet calligraphy communication document font foster handwriting inscription literature manuscript printing raise symbol writing

Sentences including 字

  • The business is in the red.

  • Kanji are difficult to read.

  • My father is , so to speak , a walking dictionary.

  • The company is in deficit.

  • Write your name in capitals.

  • Look up the word in the dictionary.

  • We went into the red last year.

  • She is , so to speak , a walking dictionary.

  • She writes much better now than she used to.

  • That old man is , so to speak , a walking dictionary.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 子 (ko・kohen・kodomo・kodomohen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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